In the construction industry, concrete or cement is a fundamental part of building. It is used for its affordability and durability. Every contractor should know what tools best works with this element. It wouldn’t hurt to take time and research on concreting tools you can invest your money on. Opting for cheap or simple tools might sound convenient but acquiring more advanced tools could serve you better in the future.
If you are planning or thinking about purchasing or just renting out certain concreting tools for future use, this list of basic but necessary concrete tools might help you.
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Rakes
After pouring concrete into your foundation, this is the go-to tool used to spread the mixture. Although you may use normal rakes, a come-along rake (concrete rake) would do the job better. This tool has a scooped blade that does the proper levelling of concrete. If concrete is properly spread, good results will reflect in drying, finishing and strength of the concrete.
Tampers
These come in various types, including rolling tampers and hand tampers. Its job is to push coarse concrete to consolidate it below the surface. Make sure that this process is done in low slump concrete; if done in high slump concrete, sinking will most likely happen, which could lead to separation in the aggregates.
Floats
These are used to level moist concrete surfaces. Floats are made up of materials like steel and wood. They help the concrete remain damp, particularly on the top of the layer, to make sure it keeps its strength and smooth appearance. Bull floats are the most common type of this tool. It has a large handle and wide blades and is used to fill in small gaps that might show up in the concrete. Smaller floats can be used in filling out voids or smoothing edges found in the concrete. These types are known as magnesium floats and usually in handheld sizes made for smaller, intricate areas.
Screeds
This tool is very easy to use but similarly as important as other concreting tools. It’s long, straight tubes or boards, and its job is to level and remove excess concrete after pouring to get a perfectly smooth finish.
Trowels
This one is the most basic tool you can find. Its use and purpose are very simple to achieve your desired concrete smoothness for the final look, but this is every contractor’s reliable tool.
Edger
When working on smoothing or flattening out concrete slabs on the corners, this is the tool to use for that job. However, using this requires timing as this makes concrete slightly hard, making the process slightly tricky.
Sealer Sprayer
This tool gives the perfect performance and finish during construction. The two most important factor to consider is its material and thickness. A sealer sprayer has low pressure.
Building and working with concrete may seem like an arduous task, so it’s important to look for tools that can help ease every process. It’s crucial to look at every aspect of the material of a tool before committing to buying or renting them. This is to ensure that every single one does the job correctly and results will lead to satisfaction. It helps you or your workers have adequate knowledge and enough skills to build to ensure success in every project.